Friday, June 25, 2010

On our flight from Seattle to Marseille yesterday we had a stopover in Amsterdam, unfortunately that stop over ended up being a sleepover due to France having an all day general transportation strike.

Luckily for us we have friends who live in the city and were gracious enough to invite us over for dinner in their beautiful apartment. The evening was so warm and pretty that we decided to sit outside on their rooftop deck, the views of Amsterdam stunning.

We brought along some cold Taittinger champagne to start the night, Klary made a delicious dinner of cheesy baked penne, roasted broccoli and green salad with apples, prosciutto and mozzarella . There was dessert of yogurt, strawberry rhubarb compote and stroopwaffel (Dayne's favorite). It was a perfect and relaxing evening, catching up with friends we don't see often and getting to know them even better. To wrap up the evening Dennis held a Genever tasting with 3 very nice subjects- Schermer's Oude Jenever a light style at 36% made in Amsterdam; Filliers 125th Year Jubileum Graanjenever, a very whisky flavored Belgium spirit at 42% and finally Filliers 8 year old 50% Grand Jenever which was my favorite!

We feel lucky to know people in different countries and luckier still to call them friends. Klary and Dennis turned what could have been an overly frustrating situation into an incredibly enjoyable evening in a city we already love. Thank you and see you in October!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I've been in San Francisco a lot lately, I love it! I love the city, the weather, the food, the cocktails. So even though I had just gone with some European friends in Feb I went with my friend Della and her mom Sandy again in April. Della's mom has a time share in Union Square and had never been, Della hadn't been since college and I'm always up for a trip obviously!

One thing Sandy wanted to see was the aquarium. I hadn't been to the one there and it was very near the In N Out Burger (priorities people, priorities!) so off we went!

How cool are these jellyfish??? There were a few tanks of them and they were stunning!

Walking in the tunnel where the fish are next to and above you was amazing! Huge sharks, bass, schools of anchovies and octopus are all swimming around as we walked through.

Just outside the aquarium is Pier 39 where all the sea lions hang out. Really? How does that thing stay afloat with them all??

Anyway I really thought the Aquarium of the Bay was a great way to spend a not so sunny afternoon and walk off the In N Out Burger.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Some girlfriends and I have done a couple of day trips north to Snohomish to check out the antique shops. It's quite entertaining since we are all searching out similar items: vintage cocktail glassware and the like.

I don't know much about antiques, I pretty much buy what I like, but I have to say that this is a little shopping past time that I have really began to enjoy.

Last September when I was in Paris my girlfriend Forest and I went to the most famous of all antique markets, Les Puces (literally translated as The Fleas). Over 2 centuries old this is also the largest market of it's kind in the world, attracting up to 180,000 visitors on a weekend alone.

With over 17 acres of shops it took Forest and I a full day to see it all. It's amazing the things that are for sale! There are separate areas for various kinds of dealers and each one has it's own store. Very different from the image in my head of a fair ground kind of situation with ware's strewn across blankets and tables.

One of the halls even had artists who were displaying works made from antique or vintage goods.

Back here at home Snohomish calls itself the "Antiques Capitol of the Northwest" and with good reason. Every business in the town seems to be dealing. Granted antiques in Snohomish are a bit different than what I found in Paris!

This very well could have been my complete set from my childhood!

Puppets Anyone?

Nickel a Ride!

2 years ago while visiting Provence we went to I'Isle sur la Sorgue which has a reputation as the antiques center of Provence. Most things were amazingly expensive but it was so fun to look at. I did find these funny little gadgets meant to hold your lamb chop bone while you ate it so that you wouldn't get your hands greasy. I loved them but didn't buy them and now I think of them all the time! I'm heading back to Provence this month and I think I'll be searching those out again!

The vast majority of us live with a lot of myths, fables, untruths, compromises, self-delusions, and downright disappointments. The 80° (40% alcohol by volume) issue seems to be one of them. For the most part, the occasional gin aside and not counting ill-advised Bacardi 151 or Everclear experiences in the teen or college years, we're used to spirits bottled at the seemingly-arbitrary strength of 40% ethanol. It's always seemed strange to me that producers add water to their distillates to hit the same number for everything from the blandest of vodkas to aged cognacs and tequilas; how can that result in the best products? It's like saying that all chocolate recipes have to have the exact same amount of cacao. (Thankfully most gins don't seem to have fallen into that trap, with 94.6 proof or thereabouts being pretty standard for London dry styles.)

We had the opportunity to correspond via email with Audrey Saunders and Wayne Curtis, two of the panel members for that session, and have included their responses to a few questions below.With what what we’ve heard so far, we can’t wait to attend!

Dayne & Wendy: What was the first overproof spirit (> 40% ABV) that really made an impression on you?

Audrey: Rum for sure. I was too young to appreciate the flavor profile of whatever it was, but it made for one heck of a pyrotechnic show. And really, who doesn't love that?

Wayne: Lemon Hart 151. It wasn't just the heat, it was the intensity of the flavor that really came through and intriuged me.

D&W: What's your current favorite overproof spirit?

Wayne: Smith & Cross I like a lot. But I'm also really partial to Booker's.

Audrey: I don't have an overall favorite; they all serve different purposes. I can enjoy an overproof whiskey (with a splash of water), as much as an overproof rum (with perhaps as a float), or an overproof gin (either as a martini, or worked into a cocktail). They're all different animals. And then of course, there's Chartreuse.

D&W: If you could ask any one producer to move a product to a higher proof, what would it be?

Audrey: Cognac, for sure. All of the old recipes were done with 100 proof. Unfortunately many of today's cognac cocktails aren't as "zippy" as they potentially could be, it's that extra bit of octane that will give cognac drinks the spine and "umph" they need to maintain their structure.

Wayne: I'd be more inclined to ask Lemon Hart to crank up production on their 151, and make it more widely available. I think it's still easily found in the Pacific Northwest, but elsewhere it's hard to track down. And it's so essential in a number of great tiki drinks.

D&W: What interested you about this seminar topic?

Wayne: A simple question: why do so many overproof taste so good and so strikingly different than their lower-proof cousins?

Audrey: Eric invited me to participate. He has picked my brains occasionally over the years about different products he was developing, and asked me for my thoughts on 100 or 114 proof for Smith & Cross. I tasted them both, and felt strongly that he just go ahead and own it. The 100 was good, but the 114 was even better, and at that proof, really showed off the quality of the distillate. Everybody wanted a high-quality rum, and the 114 separates Smith & Cross from the boys. I've always been a real fan of his concepts.

D&W: What do you hope to achieve/ get across to the attendees?

Wayne: A bit of history, and a bit of science. How did most spirits sold in the US end up at 40 percent? And how does a higher-proof alcohol affect the taste of a drink?

Audrey: Not to be afraid of working with higher proofs, and a better understanding of what they bring to the table. For instance, the flavor profiles of the high-quality distillates hold up beautifully with some dilution!

D&W: Why do you they think people should attend this seminar? Who would get the most value out of it?

Audrey: Any professional, certainly, as well as people who are responsible for crafting cocktails.

D&W: Audrey, what's your favorite use for an overproof spirit?

Audrey: Google for a photo of "kill-devil cocktail site:urbandaddy.com" [D&W note: or just click here] ; you will see a photo of our Kill-Devil Cocktail, and the simple flaming garnish that we give to it. We simply invert a lime disc, and add a dropper-full of Elixir Vegetal de la Grande-Chartreuse (71% Alcohol). The drink has a rhum agricole base, and this works beautifully with it.

D&W: Wayne, have you ever tried lighting gunpowder after it's been exposed to Navy Strength rum?

[D&W note: You'll have to attend the seminar to get Wayne's answer to this one!]

Thank you Audrey and Wayne! Looking forward to seeing the both of you along with Eric and Britt at your Tales session.